Multiple states are preparing for an extreme heat wave as temperatures exceed 40C, bringing one of the hottest December days in years.
Parts of Victoria, NSW and Queensland are expected to reach the high 40s while the Northern Territory faces severe to extreme heatwave conditions for much of the next three days.
“Some locations in western NSW could approach December records, with temperatures of 46 or 47 degrees,” Bureau of Meteorology’s Dean Narramore said on Monday.
Alice Springs in the Northern Territory is expected to reach up to 43 degrees on Monday while southwest Queensland’s Birdsville could reach 45C.
High bushfire risks are expected across Australia’s southeast with extreme fire danger warnings in place.
Mount Lofty Ranges in eastern South Australia and most of western and central Victoria including Melbourne are under extreme fire danger warnings.
“These hot, dry, windy conditions are likely to lead to extreme fire dangers,” Narramore said.
“That means that if fires do get going in this weather, they’re likely to be uncontrollable and uncontainable.”
Melbourne, with an expected 41C, will face its hottest day since January 2023 and its hottest December day since 2019.
The mercury is expected to hit 46C in Mildura in the state’s northwest, 45C in Swan Hill and 44C in Horsham.
Extreme fire danger has been declared in Victoria’s central and western districts. Source: AAP
Total fire bans have been declared across most of Victoria with incident management teams and firefighting aircraft on standby in critical regional areas.
While Sydney can expect a mild start to the week with a 28C maximum forecast for Monday, parts of inland NSW could face even more extreme heat than Victoria.
A maximum temperature of 47C is expected in Wilcannia, in central northwestern NSW, and 46.5C in Ivanhoe, about 180km further south.
A high fire danger warning will be in place for much of western NSW on Tuesday.
Queensland is also facing the risk of flash flooding on Monday as the south east as wet weather is forecast to hit from Yeppoon on the central coast to Brisbane.
The bureau warned southeast residents to prepare for flash flooding over the coming days.
It comes after Brisbane was battered by rain on Saturday with the downpour triggering flash flooding throughout the city.
The extreme temperatures will be short-lived for NSW and Victoria, with heatwave conditions forecast to ease on Monday night.
A cold front is moving across South Australia on Monday morning and is expected to reach western Victoria in the afternoon, bringing relief to Melbourne and central parts of Victoria in the evening, Narramore said.
But the heat will remain for the rest of the week in Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Rain is also expected to continue throughout the week for Queensland’s coast, with daily totals up to 60mm.
Some areas may accumulate more than 150-250mm by the end of the week, Weatherzone warned.